Villagers who have spent almost three years blockading an illegal gipsy camp
declared victory after a High Court judge ordered the travellers to leave.

Local residents, many in their 70s, have maintained a thousand-day vigil at the site since the travellers arrived in May 2010 to prevent further development.

On Tuesday the gipsies failed in their final attempt to remain at the six-acre paddock in Meriden, Warks, after a High Court judge dismissed two applications. Residents Against Inappropriate Development (Raid), the group that organised the blockade, claimed the ruling showed that “blitzes” on land during bank holidays would not be tolerated.

Meriden residents who set up a protest camp next to the traveller site in 2011 (NTI)

The land was purchased in 2009 for £100,000 by Noah Burton, the head of a gipsy family.

He promised neighbours he had no plans to develop the plot, but in 2010 took advantage of a May bank holiday – when council offices were shut – to move his extended family’s caravans on to the site.

Villagers, among them an 85-year-old RAF veteran, set up a protest camp outside the illegal site to prevent it being enlarged further and have operated on a rota to maintain a vigil for nearly three years.

On Tuesday a senior judge rejected a final plea by the gipsy families to be allowed to appeal against Solihull council’s refusal to grant them planning permission for a permanent settlement.

Mr Justice Bean dismissed two applications by the travellers’ lawyers at the High Court in Birmingham for them to be allowed to remain. He extended the final deadline three weeks from March 31 to April 21 due to the adverse weather.

The travellers were given a further four weeks to restore the site to its original condition.

David McGrath, a Raid spokesman, called the ruling a “victory”. He said: “The gipsies have finally exhausted all legal and planning avenues. It’s a victory for the residents and a victory for anyone who supports the protection of the countryside against illegal development.

“It sends a big message out nationally that residents and councils are no longer prepared to tolerate the bank holiday blitz on the countryside.

“We are very relieved but the champagne corks won’t be popping until after the April 21. It has taken us 19 decisions, £90,000 and three years to get to this point.

“It is now time for the gipsies to turn over a new leaf, take up the accommodation that’s been offered to them and take their place in society as neighbours and not as opponents or illegal developers.

“The camp will stay – we won’t be going anywhere until they have moved off the site and the land has been restored.”

Mr Burton said the travellers would abide by the ruling but may return to the site if they cannot find alternative accommodation. He said of the villagers’ campaign group: “They can claim victory but victory over what? We’ve got children here crying because they can’t go back to school. If you call that a victory then that’s what they have achieved.

“We have had enough, I think they have too. We have nowhere else to go, we have spent all our money but in 12 or 18 months we might get desperate and have to put in more applications on the land.

“We will try to sell the land now and find somewhere else to go, preferably out of the district. But we will abide by the courts, we always have done and this time will be no different.”